BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho State Board of Education has approved a plan to request $34 million CARES Act funding in an effort to improve blended learning for Idaho students.
Blended learning includes both in-person and online or distance learning instruction.
According to the Board, the request will be made to Gov. Brad Little’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee, which decides how federal CARES Act funding is used in Idaho.
If approved, $30 million would be used to purchase devices for students and improve connectivity in areas where students lack access to the internet.
An additional $4 million would go toward the creation of a higher education "digital campus," enabling students in remote areas to take college classes online.
"From my perspective, the most important thing we can do is to get schools open in the fall,” board member Kurt Liebich said in a statement. "The second thing we need to do is to position districts to be able to deliver a blended learning solution more effectively than they were forced to do this past spring.
"Each of these investments are supporting districts to be able to better deliver blended learning this fall," Liebich added.
Plans are also in the works to use $4.8 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds for a learning management system to facilitate online learning.
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